Just when the clamor over "traditional" marriage couldn’t get any louder; along comes this groundbreaking book to ask; "What tradition?" In Marriage; a History; historian and marriage expert Stephanie Coontz takes readers from the marital intrigues of ancient Babylon to the torments of Victorian lovers to demonstrate how recent the idea of marrying for love is—and how absurd it would have seemed to most of our ancestors. It was when marriage moved into the emotional sphere in the nineteenth century; she argues; that it suffered as an institution just as it began to thrive as a personal relationship. This enlightening and hugely entertaining book brings intelligence; perspective; and wit to today’s marital debate.
#82537 in Books Stephanie Coontz 2006-02-28 2006-02-28Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.39 x .93 x 5.50l; .84 #File Name: 014303667X448 pagesMarriage a History How Love Conquered Marriage
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great read; if a little ponderous.By Ron P.This is a fascinating read for anyone who ever wondered what marriage and interpersonal relationships in the western world looked like 100; 200; 300 years ago. We tend to operate under the assumption that the institution has always served pretty much the same purposes it does today; but Coontz's book shows that nothing could be further from the truth. Marriage; in fact; has served so many varied economic; cultural; political and personal purposes over the centuries that it makes one wonder why people today get so worked up over gay marriage and other changes which continue to reflect the changing mores of western culture. That said; the first half of the book is a bit of a slog; the author giving far too many examples of little known historical characters and the oddities of their marriages. It picks up in the second half (I'm just now getting into that part) where she talks about changes brought about in the early 20th century by the industrial revolution and heightened expectations on the part of women at the end of the Victorian era. This part of the book is just easier to relate to by someone born mid-century like myself.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Much more than just about marriageBy Waldir PimentaWhile one might expect this book to cover topics like the evolution of the concepts of love; romanticism; sexuality; and yes; the economics of marriages (and especially arranged marriages); in the end it is really a book about human culture and history. It seems no other structure has been as central to our societies' organization; functioning and evolution as marriage and its relationship with family bonds; economic interactions; alliances and wars; and politics.It is clearly revealed how marriage has historically been about much more than two people; and that reducing the focus on love; partnership and companionship doesn't diminish its significance in the least -- on the contrary: pretending to treat it primarily as a romantic relationship is ignoring its greater role as one of the most powerful instruments in our history for mediating conflicts; establishing alliances; and in stabilizing tensions that could have been catastrophic otherwise.The history lessons presented by this book provide powerful perspectives that will forever change how you think about human relationships and reveal; on one hand; the complexity and intricacy of this vast network of interests and interactions; but on the other hand also the simplicity of core human drives that motivate pretty much all human activity. A fascinating read!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent WritingBy EldenThis is an informative book on the history of marriage. At last written by someone who went to the trouble to find the factual content and write about it from an inside point of view. When you find the gems of truth about marriage it all makes sense. Who on earth started that tradition? Where did it come from; and why it was implemented? Really interesting read.Marriage is the one puzzling event we have in life that still does not make sense to us. Read this book it will explain it very clearly. Then we might change our view and adopt a more truthful idea of why a man and a woman want to get married.
